Fans of Korean director Chan-wook Park’s 2003 cult classic “Oldboy" were outraged to hear of plans to remake their beloved film for American audiences and even more fans were probably baffled by the announcement that Spike Lee would be directing. Best known for his Malcolm X biopic and his breakout hit Do The Right Thing, it's hard to see thematic parallels between this film's subject matter and the rest of Lee’s filmography and it is also odd to see him remake another director's material. This isn't a Spike Lee joint. Rather, it is simply a Spike Lee film. But the most confusing thing about doing this remake is that is guaranteed to have zero to minimal mainstream appeal to a North American audience that will find many of its more deviously perverted elements less than palatable. Best described as a loony and bonkers mad detective story, the stakes are high and the clues and answers are shocking and fantastically preposterous. A strong suspension of disbelief is required to properly enjoy Oldboy. Otherwise, you'll be in for a very bad time.
A difficult movie to talk about without venturing into spoiler territory, Oldboy is definitely an experience where the less you know the better so consider that a warning before you proceed any further. To begin from the beginning, we are introduced to Joe (Brolin), an instantly unlikeable sleazy slimeball of a guy who also happens to be a raging alcoholic. With a toxic relationship with his ex-wife and a non-existent relationship with his 3 year old daughter Mia, we watch Joe’s dealings with the people in his life and quickly realize this isn't a man many people are going to miss if he should suddenly disappear. And sure enough, Joe encounters an attractive stranger in the middle of one of his nightly booze binges and and he wakes up the next day to quickly realize he’s trapped inside an unfamiliar bedroom. More importantly, he also quickly realizes that someone is intentionally trapping him and ignoring his pleas for help.
With a camera trained on him 24/7 and sleeping gas released whenever he has to be incapacitated, his mysterious unnamed jailers control every aspect of his life. Allowed only a television and a complete set of the Encyclopedia Britannica to entertain him, Joe slowly begins to lose his mind. He witnesses major world events such as the 9/11 attacks and the inauguration of presidents and also discovers that his ex-wife has been murdered and that he is the chief suspect. His subsequent deterioration is difficult to watch. He draws a face on his pillowcase with his own blood just to have some semblance of intimacy with something, anything. He attempts suicide by violently slashing his wrist but is prevented from succeeding. He is deprived of any human contact whatsoever and all the while he wonders why him and more importantly, he wonders who is tormenting him? Clinging on to the hope of seeing his daughter again, Joe eventually turns a corner and vows to become a better man for her. And when he is suddenly released after 20 years with only a phone and a bag stuffed with dollar bills in his possession, he follows a trail of evidence that someone has left for him to follow for reasons that he and the audience must discover.
What should be very apparent at this point is that this premise is clearly not a product of the Hollywood conveyor belt system. And it’s pretty obvious to see that the singular strength of both versions of Oldboy is that very unique premise. Unfortunately though, the downfall of both films is the steady unravelling of the strength of that premise when the plot relentlessly stumbles forward into ludicrous and overly absurd territory. Riveting and stylish, the first half of Oldboy makes for some great cinema. The audience is just as much in the dark as the protagonist is and the process of unveiling and discovering the answers and truths behind his mysterious confinement is definitely the most effective aspect of the film.
And although it obviously owes a huge debt to the original, Oldboy is actually an improvement in certain ways. While most of the major plot points survive and stay the same, the storytelling is much more clear and straightforward in Spike Lee's version. An occasional tip or nod to the Korean original surfaces every now and then and the infamous hammer fight scene is also recreated (but is much less effective). But Lee also adds a couple of new deft touches and visually arresting shot choices throughout and many of the more fanciful and farfetched elements are excised for the benefit of the narrative. However, it could be argued that this comes at the cost of the Korean version's appeal. The original Oldboy is a bonkers mad film that doesn't exist anywhere near anything resembling reality and the film possesses an almost mythical quality of sorts. And therein lies the problem with this new version of Oldboy. It is a pretty faithful remake but it lacks the emotional gut punch quality that makes the original so haunting. A tale steeped in tragedy, the original grapples with our concepts of memory, identity, love and family and twists them on their head. Most of this fails to translate properly in the Spike Lee version. The simple way to describe this new Oldboy would be to call it a redemption and revenge story that acts as an overly elaborate actioner/whodunnit.
As for the cast, Josh Brolin is great at capturing the overall sleaziness of pre-incarceration Joe and is also adept at portraying the lethal and unstable Joe caught in the midst of his madcap pursuit for answers. He doesn't go as full on batshit crazy as Joe's Korean counterpart does but his performance is solid and serves the film well. Sadly, Elizabeth Olsen is shortchanged in her role as Marie, a kindly young social worker who decides to help an unstable Joe in his quest. Despite the fact that she is a pivotal character in the events to come, she has very little work to do here; Brolin is the centerpiece of this film. Old Spike Lee favorites Samuel L. Jackson and Michael Imperioli also pop up in supporting roles.
Verdict: Although it sticks very close to the original and lacks some of its bite and depth, the American version of Oldboy is still eminently watchable and exceedingly entertaining, especially in the first forty minutes or so as the audience struggles along with Joe to figure things out. Go along for the ride with an open state of mind and you will most likely leave confounded, yet oddly satisfied.
B-
Notes (SPOILERS):
-As Joe’s revenge seeking tormentor, Sharlto Copley somehow manages to be even more ridiculous and over the top than he was with his villainous performance in last summer’s Elysium. It is a campy performance that you would normally find in a bad B action movie but it fits oddly well within Oldboy's bizarre fantasy world.
-Watch out for some great unintentionally hilarious moments that show up when Copley’s character’s unbelievably implausible motive and methods are finally revealed.
-Some of the more shocking elements are toned down for the Hollywoodized version but not by as much as many film critics will have you believe. The only significant toning down to be found is in the ending. To avoid major spoilers, it suffices to say that the Hollywood version’s ending is pretty much exactly that: a Hollywood ending that, although still shocking, plays it much safer than the Korean version (the Korean film's ending, on the other hand, is pretty much a diabolical perversion of the stereotypical Hollywood ending).
Trailer:
Movie info:
Runtime: 104 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Cast: Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Olsen, Sharlto Copley, Samuel L. Jackson
Director: Spike Lee
Screenplay: Mark Protosevich
Cinematography: Sean Bobbitt
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